By Coach Jeff Hill
Editor's Note: Glen Mills has been featured several . times in the past but they just keep on getting better! So here's the latest challenge conquered. Story by Coach Jeff Hill For most high school powerlifting teams, they would be little more than a dream. For the Battling Bulls of Glen Mills Schools in Glen Mills, Pa., they were three reasonable goals based on a nine-year tradition of excellence: 1. The Pennsylvania State Teenage Championship 2. The Pennsylvania State High School Championship 3.
The ADFPA National High School Championship Prior to the 1990-91 season, the Glen Mills powerlifting program had accomplished much: six consecutive state high school championships and two out of three national championships in addition to numerous individual national champions, who hold many state and national records. The winning tradition of Bulls' powerlifting dominates the team's weight room, with the excellent teams and lifters of the past highlighted on the walls with the school record board. For the 1990-91 Bulls, living up to their predecessors success was summed up in three words: "Conquer The Challenge", the Bulls' slogan for the year.
The season began as others have at Glen Mills: the team's philosophy is centered around setting goals and working hard to achieve them. Team practices are spirited and demanding: chalk is flying, everyone is screaming in support of their teammates to give them that little extra push. A positive mental attitude is a must for a Bull lifter: each must have the attitude there is no limit to what he can achieve. February 23, 1991, the Bulls took aim at their first goal, the Pennsylvania teenage title, in a meet at Upper Perkiomen High. The Bulls came away with 13 individual winners and broke numerous state records. Glen Mills was led by captains Larry Winder 098-pound class) and James Carter (23).
Winder totaled 1410 while Carter squatted and dead-lifted 400. Goal No.1 was met. The PSCPA State HIgh School Championships, held April 23 and 24 on the Glen Mills campus, was next on the Bulls' agenda. The Glen Mills staff not only takes pride in its team, but also in running a meet second to none. In that atmosphere, the Bulls, led by Winder and Carter, were again magnificent. Carter squatted 425 and totaled 1029. Winder moved up to the 220 class and totaled 1500. Other highlights were heavyweight Damon Wesley, who deadlifted 645, and Lavelle Goldsmith (81), who benched 355. The team title belonged to the Bulls, and goal No .2 was met.
At the USPF meet in 1990, the Bulls narrowly beat the best teams from Texas and other states. At the ADFPA meet, the Bulls were facing Attleboro High, the Massachusetts state champions, in addition to Bradwell Institute (Hinisville, Ga.) and the Hill McCloy School (Lansing, Mich.) also state champions. This would be the payoff of seven months of hard work for the Bulls. They broke 17 national high school records and won four weight class titles while capturing their second consecutive national high school championship. The Bulls scored 100 team points: Hill McCloy was second with 78. After winning the championships, the next challenge for the Bulls was to handle success like a champion.
It is one thing to win a first-place trophy and another to be a winner. All the Bulls understood the importance of representing themselves, their team , and their school with pride and dignity. The Bulls are all-around champions . They can be proud of their accomplishments. They can be proud they lived up to the Glen Mills Tradition. They can be proud of the fact they are the finest powerlifting team Glen Mills has produced. They truly conquered the challenge.
Once again, the Bulls lived the dream.
From BFS Magazine — Fall 1991. Part of the BFS Magazine Archive (1980–2014).
